Commerce is among the most honourable paths of earning approved by our religion. The Prophet (peace be upon him) traded before his prophethood and earned the title al-Amin (the trustworthy) in the marketplace. Even on the day Abu Bakr was elected caliph, he went out at dawn to the bazaar with his merchandise as usual. This sermon examines the Qur'anic legitimacy of commerce, the five core principles of trading ethics — just measure, truthful speech, no deception of the customer, ease for the debtor, and the prohibition of hoarding — and the glad tiding awaiting the honest merchant in the Hereafter.
The Nobility of Lawful Earning
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
مَا أَكَلَ أَحَدٌ طَعَامًا قَطُّ خَيۡرًا مِنۡ أَنۡ يَأۡكُلَ مِنۡ عَمَلِ يَدِهِۦۖ وَإِنَّ نَبِيَّ ٱللَّهِ دَاوُۥدَ كَانَ يَأۡكُلُ مِنۡ عَمَلِ يَدِهِۦ
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Sales, no. 2072No one has ever eaten food better than what he eats from the work of his own hands. The Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) used to eat from the work of his own hands.
A'isha (may Allah be pleased with her) described the Prophet's Companions in these words: "They were workers of their own affairs; when they came to prayer their bodies were heavy with the smell of labour." Loving the working hand is among the foundational measures of our religion. In another hadith the Prophet said: "For one of you to take a rope and bring back a bundle of firewood on his back to sell is far better than asking from people."
Allah states the legitimacy of commerce in clear terms:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَأۡكُلُوٓاْ أَمۡوَٰلَكُم بَيۡنَكُم بِٱلۡبَٰطِلِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَٰرَةً عَن تَرَاضٖ مِّنكُمۡ
— Surah An-Nisa' 4:29O you who believe! Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only through lawful trade by mutual consent.
The line between riba (usury) and trade is unmistakable:
وَأَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡبَيۡعَ وَحَرَّمَ ٱلرِّبَوٰاْ
— Surah Al-Baqarah 2:275Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden usury.
Those who do not repent of usury are met with an open declaration of war from the Qur'an: "If you do not, then be warned of a war from Allah and His Messenger" (Al-Baqarah 2:278-279). Usury is one of the gravest sins that corrodes the integrity of wealth in our religion.
1. Justice in Measure and Weight
The heavens and the earth stand by measure and balance. The scale is the gauge of every right. The Prophet Shu'ayb (peace be upon him) addressed his people: "O my people! Worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. Do not give short measure and short weight" (Hud 11:84). Surah Al-Mutaffifin — "the chapter of those who give short measure" — declares the full weight of this offence:
وَيۡلٞ لِّلۡمُطَفِّفِينَ. ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ٱكۡتَالُواْ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ يَسۡتَوۡفُونَ. وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمۡ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمۡ يُخۡسِرُونَ
— Surah Al-Mutaffifin 83:1-3Woe to those who give short measure — those who, when they take a measure from people, take it in full; but when they measure or weigh for others, they give less.
These three verses show the divine vigilance over even the smallest detail of worldly trade. The exegete Elmalili comments: "If one who cheats even a little earns this 'woe,' how many woes must one earn who cheats a great deal?"
2. No Lying and No False Oaths
A believer is one whose word can be trusted. A merchant especially must be the kind of man on whom a customer can rely. The hadith of Hakim ibn Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) is the key text for this principle:
الْبَيِّعَانِ بِالْخِيَارِ مَا لَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا — أَوْ قَالَ: حَتَّى يَتَفَرَّقَا — فَإِنْ صَدَقَا وَبَيَّنَا بُورِكَ لَهُمَا فِي بَيْعِهِمَا، وَإِنْ كَتَمَا وَكَذَبَا مُحِقَتْ بَرَكَةُ بَيْعِهِمَا
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Sales, no. 2079The buyer and the seller have the option until they part. If they speak truthfully and declare both the defects and the value of their goods, their sale will be blessed for them. But if they conceal and lie, perhaps they will profit — yet the blessing of their sale will be destroyed.
The seventy-seventh verse of Surah Al-Imran is unambiguous about the gravity of a false oath: "Those who exchange Allah's covenant and their oaths for a small price — they will have no share in the Hereafter. Allah will neither speak to them nor look at them on the Day of Resurrection."
In another hadith, among the "three groups of people Allah will not speak to on the Day of Resurrection" is "the one who pushes the sale of his goods by a false oath" (Sahih Muslim, Iman, no. 106). A false oath may move the merchandise, but it destroys the blessing of the earning.
3. Not Deceiving the Customer — "He Is Not of Us"
The Prophet, passing through the grain market, ran his hand into a heap of wheat and felt its inside was damp. He asked the owner: "What is this?" The man said: "O Messenger of Allah, it was caught in the rain." The Prophet replied: "Then why did you not put the wet part on top so people could see it? Whoever deceives is not of us." (Sahih Muslim, Iman, no. 102)
In his Ihya' Ulum al-Din, Imam al-Ghazali narrates the story of a merchant named Yunus ibn Ubayd. His shop carried cloth in various qualities priced from two hundred to four hundred dirhams. One day he went to prayer and left his nephew minding the shop. On his return he saw a man carrying off cloth he recognised — his two-hundred-dirham cloth, sold for four hundred. He called the man back: "You have been cheated — this cloth is worth two hundred dirhams. Return, and take back the remainder of your money." The man protested: "This cloth is worth five hundred where I come from; I have not been cheated." Yunus said: "No, that will not do. Take it back. Giving sincere advice is better than the profit of this world." Then, turning to his nephew: "Did you not fear Allah? You abandoned sincere advice to the Muslims!" The nephew answered: "By Allah, he bought it of his own free will." Yunus then said the line that defines an ethical merchant: "Yes — he was content with it. But how could your conscience be content with it?"
4. Ease for the Debtor
Showing ease to the debtor is a virtue the Prophet repeatedly commended:
رَحِمَ اللَّهُ رَجُلًا سَمْحًا إِذَا بَاعَ، وَإِذَا اشْتَرَى، وَإِذَا اقْتَضَى
— Sahih al-Bukhari, Sales, no. 2076May Allah have mercy on a man who is easy when he sells, when he buys, and when he collects his debt.
Sulayman ibn Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet said first: "Whoever grants a poor debtor an extension before the debt is due receives the reward of charity equal to the debt for each day." Then: "Whoever grants an extension after the debt has become due receives the reward of charity twice the amount of the debt for each day." Extending before the due date earns one share; after the due date, two — the longer the patience, the more the reward multiplies. This hadith shows how Allah values mercy toward a debtor in difficulty.
Another incident: a Bedouin came demanding the camel the Prophet owed him and, in his Bedouin manner, spoke roughly. The Companions sprang to silence him, but the Prophet said: "Leave the Bedouin alone. Every owner of a right has a right of speech. Buy him a camel and give it to him." When they returned saying, "We could not find a camel except one more valuable than his," the Prophet replied: "Buy that one and give it to him. The best among you is the one who repays his debt in the best manner." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Loans, no. 2390)
5. The Prohibition of Hoarding
Hoarding (ihtikar) — buying up food and storing it until prices rise — is among the unlawful paths our religion rejects. The Prophet said:
بِئْسَ الْعَبْدُ الْمُحْتَكِرُ: إِنْ أَخْصَرَ اللَّهُ الْأَسْعَارَ حَزِنَ، وَإِنْ أَغْلَاهَا فَرِحَ
— al-Bayhaqi, Shu'ab al-Iman, no. 11079What a wretched servant is the hoarder! If Allah lowers prices, he grieves; if Allah raises them, he rejoices.
The hoarder's prayer is a prayer against the welfare of his entire society — for he draws his profit from the need of others. The Prophet said in another hadith: "Whoever hoards is a sinner." (Sahih Muslim, Musaqat, no. 1605)
Commerce Must Not Distract from the Remembrance of Allah
Allah says:
رِجَالٞ لَّا تُلۡهِيهِمۡ تِجَٰرَةٞ وَلَا بَيۡعٌ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَإِيتَآءِ ٱلزَّكَوٰةِ
— Surah An-Nur 24:37Men whom neither trade nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah, the establishment of prayer, and the giving of zakat.
The cessation of trade upon the call to the Friday prayer is the visual emblem of this measure:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوۡمِ ٱلۡجُمُعَةِ فَٱسۡعَوۡاْ إِلَىٰ ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُواْ ٱلۡبَيۡعَۚ ذَٰلِكُمۡ خَيۡرٞ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ
— Surah Al-Jumu'ah 62:9O you who believe! When the call is made for the Friday prayer, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business. That is better for you, if only you knew.
When the prayer is concluded, "disperse on the earth and seek the bounty of Allah" (62:10) — worldly and otherworldly life are woven on a single rhythm.
Stories from the Tradition
The Prophet's Trading Journey with Khadijah
The Prophet (peace be upon him) engaged in trade from his youth. At twenty-five, he took the merchandise of Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) to Sham on her behalf. What her servant Maysarah reported on returning was extraordinary: "This man's honesty, his openness with customers, his precision in measure, the timeliness of his payments — I have seen the like in no one." This journey was among the reasons Khadijah later proposed marriage to him. The title Muhammad al-Amin was conferred on him not in a mosque, but in the marketplace.
Abu Bakr's Honesty in Trade
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), on the day he was elected caliph, went out at dawn as usual with his merchandise to the bazaar. Umar and Abu Ubaydah saw him on the way and were astonished: "Caliph, what business have you in the market? You have taken on the affairs of the Muslims!" Abu Bakr replied: "And how am I to feed my family?" A daily allowance of half a sheep was set for him from the public treasury, and even this Abu Bakr considered too much and tried to reduce. After his death he left behind only a single servant and a camel — and even these were bequeathed to be handed over to the next caliph. When Umar received them, he said: "May Allah have mercy on Abu Bakr. He has made it hard for whoever comes after him." Honesty in trade becomes honesty in office — Abu Bakr lived this throughout his life.
Abdul-Rahman ibn Awf — He Asked Allah for the Marketplace
When Abdul-Rahman ibn Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) emigrated from Makkah, the Prophet joined him in brotherhood with Sa'd ibn al-Rabi'. Sa'd was among the wealthiest of Madinah. He offered Abdul-Rahman half of his wealth: "I will even divorce one of my two wives so you may marry her when her waiting period ends." Abdul-Rahman's answer is among the most beautiful lines in the history of commerce: "May Allah bless your wealth and your family. Just show me the way to the marketplace." He was taken to the Qaynuqa market and within a few months had again become wealthy. A merchant who preserves his dignity does not live on charity — he seeks his sustenance by his own labour. Abdul-Rahman later became one of the wealthiest of all the Companions and spent two-thirds of his wealth in the way of Allah.
The Station of the Honest Merchant on the Day of Gathering
Let us close with the glad tiding of the Prophet:
التَّاجِرُ الصَّدُوقُ الْأَمِينُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ
— Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sales, no. 1209The honest and trustworthy merchant will be with the Prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs on the Day of Resurrection.
This hadith reveals how immense a station lawful earning, won without deception, holds in the Hereafter. A merchant, by his honesty in the marketplace, can rise to the rank of the truthful and the martyrs.
Putting Commercial Life Into Practice With VAAZ
The 99 Beautiful Names of Allah collection in the VAAZ app presents Allah's names Ar-Razzaq (the Provider), Al-Fattah (the Opener), and Al-Wahhab (the Bestower) — the true source of sustenance is in these names. To bring lawful earning and blessing into your daily life, add the supplications for sustenance from the supplication archive to your daily dhikr. For deeper context, see the Sermon on the Sacred Trust and the Sermon on Wastefulness.
Success in commerce is not measured solely by profit; it is measured by blessing. Money earned by lies, cheating, and shorted measure may be plentiful — but it is barren. Money earned by truth may be modest, yet it turns into children, health, and peace of mind. We ask Allah to grant us contentment with lawful earning, justice in our measures, truth on our tongues, and mercy toward our debtors.
References
- The Noble Qur'an, Surah An-Nisa' 4:29.
- The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:275, 2:278-279, and 2:282.
- The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-Mutaffifin 83:1-3.
- The Noble Qur'an, Surah Al-Jumu'ah 62:9-10.
- The Noble Qur'an, Surah An-Nur 24:37 and Hud 11:84.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Sales, hadith no. 2072 (Work of the hand), 2076 (Ease for the debtor), 2079 (Buyer's and seller's option), and 2390 (The Bedouin's camel).
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Iman, hadith no. 102 (Whoever deceives is not of us) and 106 (Three groups).
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Musaqat, hadith no. 1605 (Hoarding).
- Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Book of Sales, hadith no. 1209 (The station of the honest merchant).
- Imam al-Ghazali, Ihya' Ulum al-Din, Book on the Etiquettes of Earning and Livelihood.